Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 23, 1988)
exas A&M he Battalion Wednesday, November 23, 1988 College Station, Texas Vol. 88 No. 63 USPS 045360 6 Pages CAA COLLEGE STATION (AP) — Tlexas A&M officials met for four urs with NCAA representatives George Smith, the player who canted his allegations that Coach lickie Sherrill paid him “hush aney,” A&M President William H. Njobley said Tuesday. But Mobley, in a statement issued rough the school, declined to say |hai Smith told the officials. Mobley said an account of the bnday night meeting in Houston bs included in an oral progress re- jrt frpm Robert Smith, the vice esident in charge of the Universi- |tys investigation. A&M officials told the National llegiate Athletic Association rep- sentatives that the investigation as being carried out with “all the meets with A&M officials. Smith resources that we can apply,” Robert Smith said. “We are now in discussion with the NCAA to determine if it will con duct a separate inquiry or rely on the findings of our .investigation,” he said. Mobley said the University has a signed sworn statement by George Smith, which has been turned over to the NCAA* Robert Smith described the meet ing as extensive and quite detailed and said it included discussions of all the major points covered in an arti cle last week in the Dallas Morning News, in which Smith first made his allegations. In the newspaper’s original story published Friday and written by Doug Bedell, George Smith claimed that Sherrill paid him money to keep him quiet about NCAA violations. On Saturday, Smith, a former fullback, publicly recanted and said he made up the story and that $ 1,100 to $ 1,400 he received was not hush money but was loaned to him by Sherrill. But three days before a $500 cash payment was received by Smith on Sept. 23, the former player told the paper that Sherrill had argued about how much money Smith should re ceive. “I said something to him about what (violations) happened when I was there, and he said, ‘Son, if you say that again -— if you were close to me — I would punch you in the mouth,’” Smith said during a tape- recorded interview. “Jackie threatened saying they didn’t commit any violations,” Smith continued. “I have about 20 viola tions right here that I could prove any time.” In more than eight hours of a taped conversation, Smith claimed that while at A&M from 1982 through 1984, Sherrill and other athletic department personnel gave him more than $10,000 in cash, ex tra benefits and plane tickets. Smith now says the allegations were concocted to help sell a book he and a reporter planned to write to gether. Sherill, in his first public appear ance since the allegations surfaced, said Monday he would not comment on the matter until after the football season and the completion of an in ternal investigation by the school. The Aggie coach missed Satur day’s 18-0 victory over Texas Chris tian, but said he would return to the sidelines for the school’s traditional Thanksgiving Day game against The University of Texas in Austin. The paper reported that other conversations with Smith also show he believed Sherrill owed him for completion of a college degree or $3,000 for tuition at a vocational school. “More than anything, I don’t see why Jackie doesn’t want to deal with me in a way. where he would go ahead and let me go back and get my masters,” Smith said in an Oct. 3 conversation, also recorded. “That’s cheaper than the University losing its football program for the next two or three years.” As the newspaper prepared to present its evidence to Robert Smith, the vice president in charge of NCAA compliance and Mobley, George Smith told the paper he was contacted Wednesday night by the wife of Pugh — a good friend who -recruited Smith when the athlete was in high school. The following day, George Smith informed Robert Smith that the in formation he gave the newspaper was all false. Also, according to a literary agent advising Smith, Pugh himself had a phone conversation with George Smith Fridy morning after publica tion of the Morning News account. faculty works to create chapter >f Texas Faculty Association By Sherri Roberts Staff Writer One individual’s voice may be ig- lored, but a group is noticed. A [roup of Texas A&M faculty is com- ng together in an effort to make Jniversity administrators more re- ponsive to their needs. About 12 faculty members met londay to discuss the establishment if a Texas Faculty Association chap- er at A&M. Louis Bolieu, a Houston rep- esentative of TFA, told the group hat the strength of their numbers ombined with TFA’s resources will le a powerful force motivating ad- ninistrators to address their con- erns. Although similar to the Faculty lenate in that it voices faculty con- ems about government, curric ulum, program priorities, and bud get decisions, TFA’s legal resources differentiate the two. The legal representation TFA provides to its members has helped them effectively fight administrative decisions which negatively affect their working conditions, Bolieu said. TFA has helped reverse decisions to dismiss faculty and to deny them tenure, Bolieu said. In the state leg islature, it worked to redesignate faculty salaries in the state budget as non-transferrable, meaning that funds set aside for faculty salaries cannot be used for other purposes. Members at the meeting voiced concerns about negative trends in organization at A&M. Jim Biehn, organizer of the A&M TFA chapter and building and con struction lecturer said that efforts to make A&M a world-class university are being made at the expense of faculty and students. The College of Architecture is cutting undergraduate enrollment in the program from 1,600 students to 1,000 students, he said. Adminis trators say there is a lack of re sources to accommodate the current number of students, he said. Graduate enrollment, however, has been increased from 250 stu dents to 500, he said. The shift to ward graduate programs gives a re search institution such as A&M more prestige, he said. The reorganization of depart ments within the college has shifted many tenured faculty from their previous roles, he said. Bolieu said a widespread attack of tenured professors is moving across the state. ‘The cost of maintaining the professors’ salaries is the major cause for the attack, he said. “There is a new breed of adminis trators,” he said. “They view the ten ured professors as obstinate old dev ils who are standing in their way.” Equality between the treatment of male and female faculty also was dis cussed at the meeting. Claudine Hunting, associate pro fessor of modern languages said, “There is a reservoir of women at the University who feel they have not been given equity in salary or recognition.” Issues which female faculty raise at meetings are often ignored by ad ministrators, with no rationale of fered, unless they are “yes” women, she said. A “yes” woman, she said, does not make waves or disagree with depart ment officials Vlourners remember Kennedy slaying vith bouquets, prayers at Dallas site DALLAS (AP) — Mourners )laced bouquets and a crucifix Tues- lay on the street where President ohn F. Kennedy was slain, saying in a note attached to one, “After 25 ears, we still love you, John.” About 2,500 people gathered ilong the street to pass the anniver- ary hour of Kennedy’s death. Most tood quietly near the spot w here the resident was struck down Nov. 22, 963. A few knelt in prayer in the stone nemorial to Kennedy a few blocks way, while others snapped pictures if the memorial and the Texas School Book Depository building, where police found Lee Harvey Os wald’s rifle after the assassination. The crucifix, bouquets and Ken nedy half-dollars were placed as the crowd overflowed the sidewalks, and cars carefully drove around the im promptu memorial. “We still miss you — Nov. 22,” said the second spray of flowers. Alvin Marin, 52, said he placed in the street the crucifix he grasped upon hearing of Kennedy’s death 25 years ago. “It’s just something to remember him by,” Marin said. “This is very emotional.” Marin later reclaimed the crucifix at about the same time Dallas police began urging people to clear the street for traffic that had backed up through downtown. Up on the infamous grassy knoll, where many believe an assassin may have hidden, teacher Jean Hill ex plained the site to her class of about 50 third-grade students. “We’re here because this is an im portant place in Dallas, an important place in history, what happened here 25 years ago,” Hill said. Photo by Kathy Haveman A sign of the times Working diligently on Squadron 4’s spirit sign 1 rent Haynes, a freshman general studies major game are Doug Harris, a freshman business major, an d Thomas Hensley, a business major. Later she recalled, “I thought he was a representative of an era, more than any one person at that time.” Though formal observances of Kennedy’s assassination were few in Dallas, the flow of visitors to the as sassination site and the memorial swelled on the anniversary. The crowd included about 10 stu dents from the University of Texas at Arlington who are enrolled in “JFK Assassination Conspiracy Re vealed,” a seven-week class which ex plores assassination theories. The students gathered on the grassy knoll to match landmarks with assassination conspiracy the ories. “When the Warren Commission report came out, it just didn’t set well,” said Jim Marrs, who has taught the class since 1976. “It be came real apparent that all that could be said about it had not been said. “The interest is there. Everyone would like to know what really hap pened.” Many mourners recalled where they were 25 years ago. Hill said she had been waiting at Dealey Plaza to see the president’s motorcade. She jumped from the curb and hollered at Kennedy to turn her way for a picture, then the shots rang out. “I could have touched the car when I jumped out into the street,” she said. The anniversary “is bring ing all of those anxiety feelings and traumatic feelings back to me. The nightmares are coming back.” Recollections also were being shared at Parkland Memorial Hospi tal, where Kennedy was treated and later died. The hospital sponsored a roundtable discussion Tuesday among three doctors and two nurses who were involved in Kennedy’s treatment. Also on Tuesday, reporters were allowed to tour the Texas School Book Depository’s sixth floor, where the rifle registered to Oswald was found. The floor has been converted to an educational exhibit by the Dal las County Historical Foundation. The foundation plans to open the Sixth Floor museum Feb. 20, Presi dent’s Day. The exhibit will explain how Kennedy was assassinated, the effect the event had around the world, investigations of the crime and the cultural atmosphere of the 1960s. The city planned no official cere mony to mark the anniversary, nor did Dallas County Democratic party officials, who had organized com memorative services in previous years. Party leaders say they are act ing on the wishes of the Kennedy family, which asks that Kennedy be remembered on his birthday in May. South Africa agrees to plan for Cuban forces PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — The government Tuesday an nounced it had joined Cuba and An gola in approving a U.S.-mediated plan to remove 50,000 Cuban troops from Angola and set the stage for the independence of Southwest Af rica. “The hard nut that had to be cracked has been cracked,” said For eign Minister Pik Botha, whose gov ernment for years has linked the in dependence of Southwest Africa, also known as Namibia, to a Cuban withdrawal. Botha said negotiations were tak ing place in New York to establish a mutually acceptable system for veri fying all phases of the withdrawal, which is expected to be conducted over a 27-month period. If this matter h resolved, Botha said, the three countries would sign a formal agreement and the United Nations would proceed to set a timetable for implementing its plan to hold independence elections in Namibia. He declined to predict when these steps might occur. In Washington, the State Depart ment said it was pleased by the South African announcement. “With this step, all three govern ments have signaled their accep tance of the Geneva understand ings,” spokesman Charles Redman said. Implementation of a U.N. Secu rity Council resolution governing the indpendence process in Namibia is expected to begin six to eight weeks after actual signature of the agreements, he said. The parties also must work out fi nal details of the U.N. role in the re gion and of verification of Cuban troop withdrawal from Angola, Red man said. At U.N. headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar also expressed pleasure at South Africa’s announce ment and urged all the parties to re double their efforts to arrange a fi nal settlement. The U.N. Security Council’s Reso lution 435, adopted 10 years ago, outlines a one-year transition period during which elections would be held for an assembly to draft a con stitution for an independent Nami bian government. The U.N. would send about 7,500 peacekeeping troops to Namibia, backed by about 2,000 civilian personnel. Botha said he mistrusted the United Nations collectively but had faith in Perez de Cuellar, who en sured South African officials during a recent visit here that the elections would be overseen impartially. The troop withdrawal plan was drafted by negotiators in Geneva last week. Cuba and Angola announced their acceptance on Friday. Cuban troops have been support ing Angola’s Marxist government since 1975 in a civil war against South African- and U.S.-supported rebels of UNITA — the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola. South Africa, with backing from the United States, has for years de manded the removal of the Cuban troops as a precondition for ending its rule over Namibia, which lies be tween Angola and South Africa. Botha said his government has told the United States that peace in the region will be impossible unless the Angolan war is resolved through negotiations. Thus far, the Angolan government has refused to negotiate with UNITA on its demands for a share of power until free elections are held. Foreign Minister Botha and Presi dent P.W. Botha, who are not re lated, met Tuesday in Pretoria with UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi, pre sumably to discuss whether South African aid to the rebels could con tinue under terms of the peace plan. Savimbi said last week that Presi dent-elect George Bush had told him U.S. aid to UNITA would con tinue until the Soviet Union halted its military aid to the Angolan gov ernment. Details of the peace plan have not been released. Sources have said the plan calls for the Cubans to with draw over a 27-month period, grad ually moving troops northward away from UNITA’s strongholds near the border with Namibia. Figures show B-CS leads state economy By Laura White Staff Writer Bryan-College Station leads Texas’ economic turnaround with the lowest unemployment rate in the state, according to re cent Texas unemployment fig ures. “We’ve had the lowest rate in Texas for 22 out of the last 24 months,” Hamp Patterson, labor market analyst for the Texas Em ployment Commission, said. Bryan-College Station led the state in September with a 4.2 per cent unemployment rate, fol lowed by Midland and Lubbock, each with 5.1 percent unemploy ment. McAllen, Brownsville and La redo had the highest unemploy ment rates in the state, with 15.9 percent, 12.5 percent and 11.1 percent unemployment, respect- vely. Patterson said A&M is a major contributor in keeping the unem ployment rate down in Brazos County. “A&M employs 15,000 to 16,000 people,” he said. “That’s one-third of all the workers in the county.” Patterson said if the NCAA gives A&M the “death penalty” in response to the recent allegations against head football coach Jackie Sherrill, local businesses will be affected. “A&M affects all other busi nesses in this area,” he said. “Es pecially between the months of September and December —foot ball season.” Another factor involved in keeping Bryan-College Station’s unemployment rate down is its high percentage of government workers —the highest in the state. “Out of the 55,300 people working in the county, 21,200 people work for the state, local and federal government,” Patter son said. “The government doesn’t lay anyone off. That’s a big insulat ing factor — you can count on those people to keep their jobs.” Bryan-College Station also has the lowest number of manufac turers in the state. Because manufacturers do not hire often but lay off many work ers, the lack of manufacturers helps to keep unemployment rates down. Patterson said that barring eco nomic catastrophe, the unemplo- ment rate should continue its downward trend. It has been de creasing since 1986, when the rate was 6.4 percent.